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en-usCopyright 2015 AOL, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/10/23/diablo-esque-action-mmo-path-of-exile-travels-to-steam-for-pc-f/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/10/23/diablo-esque-action-mmo-path-of-exile-travels-to-steam-for-pc-f/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/10/23/diablo-esque-action-mmo-path-of-exile-travels-to-steam-for-pc-f/#commentsPath of Exile, the free-to-play action MMO from Grinding Gear Games, is out now on Steam for PC. A pre-launch patch builds on the beta and today adds a guild system, six new world areas, a new character class, new challenge leagues and a ton more new features.

Path of Exile has been on our radar since 2010 as a free, Diablo-inspired action RPG, and it's lived up to the hype ever since. It's set in a dark fantasy world called Wraeclast, with seven playable, customizable classes: Duelist, Witch, Ranger, Templar, Marauder, Shadow and Scion. Path of Exile is free-to-play and Grinding Gear promises it will never be possible to gain an advantage by spending real money in-game.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>action-mmoAction-RPGfree-to-playgrinding-gear-gamesIndiemmopath-of-exilepcrpgWed, 23 Oct 2013 15:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/30/path-of-exile-version-1-0-is-six-months-away-one-expansion-per/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/30/path-of-exile-version-1-0-is-six-months-away-one-expansion-per/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/30/path-of-exile-version-1-0-is-six-months-away-one-expansion-per/#commentsThe free-to-play action RPG Path of Exile went into open beta this past January, and the next step is putting together a version 1.0, Grinding Gear Games co-founder Chris Wilson told us this week at GDC 2013. Starting with about 250,000 registered players, the game has since grown up to around 2 million, with the devs fixing bugs and providing weekly patches since then.

The weekly patches, which have been adding new skills and items to the game, will continue to roll out. But version 1.0 is going to be the game's full release, when the "open beta" tag comes off, and the game "will be reviewable," according to Wilson. The update will add a full story to the game's Act 3, including lots of new monsters and items, and "do the stuff we had to cut corners on" throughout the game's development, Wilson said.

After that, "we intend to do expansions over the next five to ten years," Wilson told us. The team has no set plans for releases, and if they can put a major feature together in less time, then Wilson says they'll do it. The game already had a lot of success with "races," which are special events that challenge players to speedrun the game under special conditions. But in general, he said, given the current player base, "adding a new act to the game is probably a once a year thing."

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>action-rpgchris-wilsonexpansionsfree-to-playgdcgdc-2013gdc2013grinding-gears-gamespatchpath-of-exilepcreleaseupdatesSat, 30 Mar 2013 18:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/10/path-of-exile-finds-new-friends-in-open-beta-beginning-jan-23/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/10/path-of-exile-finds-new-friends-in-open-beta-beginning-jan-23/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/10/path-of-exile-finds-new-friends-in-open-beta-beginning-jan-23/#commentsPath of Exile, the free dungeon crawler from independent New Zealand studio Grinding Gear Games, is entering open beta on January 23, following a few months of a closed, pre-order beta. Those who want to jump on the Path of Exile closed beta while it still lasts can buy in for $10 to $1,000 right here. The more you pay, the better goodies you get, but don't expect any gameplay advantages. Path of Exile will never be pay-to-win, Grinding Gear makes clear.

Path of Exile throws players into the fantastical world of Wraeclast as one of six character classes: Duelist, Ranger, Witch, Templar, Marauder and Shadow. Each character focuses on strength, dexterity or intelligence, and the world itself is "a dark, brutal continent," Grinding Gear writes. "Scarred by mysterious catastrophes of the past and inhabited by creatures of nightmare, the very environment challenges exiles who dare explore it.

"We're sick of the recent trend towards bright, cartoony RPGs. The art style we chose for Path of Exile is dark, gritty and realistic." See if you can handle Path of Exile's scary realism via these videos.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>betagrinding-gear-gamesopen-betapath-of-exilepcThu, 10 Jan 2013 17:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/12/path-of-exile-free-this-weekend-during-stress-test/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/12/path-of-exile-free-this-weekend-during-stress-test/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/12/path-of-exile-free-this-weekend-during-stress-test/#commentsPath of Exile, the upcoming free-to-play Diablo-esque dungeon crawler, is currently going through its second public stress test. The game is available to download and play right now through the next day and a half. Developer Grinding Gear Games began its closed beta back in August and is planning to go open beta sometime this summer (or winter, since the team is in New Zealand).

Path of Exile was easily responsible for one of our oddest preview "appointments" ever and you can learn a lot more on the developer's detailed public stress weekend FAQ.

"Joystiq," I tell him, and he lights up, says he's been looking for me and insists he has a game he needs to show me with a title I've never heard of. He starts pressing through the throng of people and I follow as best I can, stifling the fear that he's taking me to some remote corner of the convention to rob and murder me.

My preview of Path of Exile was not, in case you've never covered a convention, how these things normally happen.